Bing Predicts Strong in NFL Week 9; Week 10 Preview

Coming off its best week ever (13-1), Bing Predicts had a tough act to follow. Even under the pressure, the search engine pulled through with a solid week, finishing 9-4. This puts Bing at 89-43 on the season (67.4%).

Bing Predicts Week 9 Recap

All of Bing's misses were pretty excusable this week. The Saints losing at home to the Titans in OT was the biggest shocker, especially coming off a breakthrough 52-point performance in Week 8. After starting 5-0, the Falcons have struggled in their past few games, but no one really expected them to lose to the woeful 49ers. The Chargers losing to the Bears was what we might call a meaningless surprise, but no one seriously could be shocked by anything that happened in a game of this caliber. And picking against the undefeated Broncos when Peyton Manning was on a quest for the all-time passing yard record just wouldn't seem right.

Other than those four games, Bing was flawless in Week 9. Here's a breakdown of Bing's performance by the numbers:

7-2 when favoring the home team (63-29 on the season)

2-2 when favoring the away team (26-14 on the season)

5-1 when predicted chance under 60% (29-20 on the season)

2-2 when predicted chance between 60 and 69.9% (33-17 on the season)

0-1 when predicted chance between 70 and 79.9% (22-5 on the season)

2-0 when predicted chance over 80% (5-1 on the season)

As we saw last year, Bing performs better the higher the predicted chances, but that doesn't always guarantee a victory. Just look at the Saints loss this week despite their 75% chance to win.

Bing Updates Playoff Picture

We knew this was coming, but Bing has finally update its playoff predictions following Week 9's results:

It's no surprise that the undefeated Panthers have catapulted to the top of the NFC after handing the Packers their second straight loss. The once 5-0 Falcons have slipped back and are looking less like a playoff team each week. The Seahawks have fallen out of the hunt completely, and suddenly the St. Louis Rams are a potential playoff team. Who would've predicted this playoff picture at the beginning of the season? Certainly not Bing.

The first three spots in the AFC appear to be locks right now, even with a Week 9 Denver loss in Indianapolis. The Jets and Raiders have now entered the playoff picture, and the Colts remain in there despite having a losing record (4-5). Fun fact: there are currently only 11 teams with a record over .500.

Bing Predicts Week 10 Preview

Bing is 32-9 (78%) in the past three weeks. Will the hot streak continue in Week 10? Here's what the search engine says will happen during Week 10:

Bing is picking the home team in all but three games this week. The away winners include the undefeated Panthers and Patriots, both of whom are visiting vastly inferior opponents. Bing also expects the Bengals to continue their unbeaten streak. Based on the matchups this week, I'd be very surprised if we didn't have three 9-0 teams come Monday night.

Here's the weekly breakdown by predicted chance:

3 games with predicted chance under 60%

3 games with predicted chance between 60 and 69.9%

6 games with predicted chance between 70 and 79.9%

2 games with predicted chance over 80%

Bing looks quite confident this week, with 8 of the 14 games at a 70% chance or better. Bing is 35-6 (85%) so far this season under such conditions, suggesting the search engine will have another great week. I predict Bing go 10-4 in Week 10.